Botak, Gundu, Mottai. Whatever you call it, traditionally most men are terrified of the outcome of baldness. But why should they be? Do men really feel any type of way about their bodies and the way they look? Are they not supposed to be pillars of stoicism and strength? AGAM Theatre Lab’s upcoming production Male Pattern aims to explore this.
The play follows the main character Kovan, a teacher, and like the title suggests, he begins to “suffer” from male pattern baldness. However, fleeting strands of hair are only his tipping point as he deals with other “male patterns” that he may or may not succumb to.
“Just like his baldness, every other aspect of his life also feels like it’s falling apart: his career, his relationship with his wife, any self-esteem. What does he do to find a solution for the baldness, and in the same way, is he able to find the solution for everything else that is falling apart in his life.” said the play’s director Ponkumaran, 36.
Mr Syed Ashratullah, who has been writing for theatre for the past 13 years, wrote the script alongside Mr Ponkumaran over a year and three months.
“I have had intimate conversations with family members and friends to research for this role, and the one thing that stuck with me was that men feel like they cannot show their families their weakness, or else they will fall apart,” said Mr Syed, 37.
He said the two-hour or so runtime will be filled with musical elements, miming, and humour, while still dealing with the core issues.
“For the main character, he’s not just losing his hair, he’s losing his identity,” he said.
Ms Gomathi Ravindran, who plays the protagonist’s wife, along with some other ensemble characters, said that even though the play is male-centric, it’s themes are still relevant to every person.
“I think the audience will be able to see themselves in each character. I think what excited me is that, and I haven’t shared this with the director, there are one or two scenes that have happened in my life. So it was a bit of revisiting those memories that I myself have blocked off,” said Ms Gomathi, 31.
Male Pattern is playing at AGAM Theatre Lab on the weekends of Oct 16 to Oct 25. The play is in Tamil, however, English subtitles will be available during the show. You can book tickets on sistic.com.sg.
